Intel Ireland’s parent company – the giant U.S. based Intel microprocessor business – is a public company trading on the NASDAQ exchange. Intel decided in 1989 to build its European manufacturing operations in Leixlip, County Kildare, and formed Intel Ireland to be the holding company. Intel Ireland has approximately 4,500 employees working at its Leixlip campus and as such it has been a major contributor to the performance of the Irish economy. Construction of the Fab 24 manufacturing plant in the 2000s signified its continuing commitment to developing its Irish operations.